‘I Got the Support I Needed’

Cynthia “Cyn” Campbell’s Elmhurst experience helped her advance in the world of finance.

As a special way to mark our sesquicentennial celebration, we asked some of our students, faculty, staff and alumni to share their fondest Elmhurst memories, favorite campus stories and hopes for the future of the University. Read along as we roll out the entire series over the coming months.

When Cynthia “Cyn” Campbell ’01, MBA ’05 pursued her graduate work at Elmhurst University, she already was working in real-time market data and analytics at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. She needed an authentic experience that complemented her professional growth, and Elmhurst provided that.

“I needed more than book knowledge from my instructors,” says Campbell, chief experience officer at BALANCE, a nonprofit that provides financial education and counseling. “I needed people with real experience. That was really important to me.”

Where was your favorite place to hang out on campus?

In the MBA program, we were in cohort groups that would move through the program together. My group lived at the library. It’s a beautiful space with awesome resources. We hung out there because that’s where the magic happened.

What do you wish everyone knew about Elmhurst?

The one-on-one attention you get is fantastic. Both in the undergrad and in the graduate program, I got the support I needed. If I wasn’t understanding something, I just needed to tell somebody, and they made sure I got help.

The one-on-one attention you get is fantastic.

Cynthia ‘Cyn’ Campbell ’01 MBA ’05 Chief Experience Officer at BALANCE

What’s your advice to people coming into Elmhurst?

As an adult student, the first thing you do is get your life organized as much as you can before it starts. No. 2, get the buy-in from the people you love most about how the next period of time is going to work with your attention on other things. Then, jump in with both feet and soak it all up.

What’s a story you’ll always tell people about your time at Elmhurst?

It was so important to this first MBA cohort that we stayed together, that we did something for the next group. We formed this MBA alumni association. We had a golf outing as our first event. It was so much fun.

Posted Aug. 4, 2021